The building project, which will primarily benefit quantum research, was launched in the presence of Thuringia’s Minister President Bodo Ramelow, Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Tiefensee, and the President of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Reimund Neugebauer. Jena is one of the world’s most important centers of the optics industry. Since its foundation in 1992, the Fraunhofer IOF has been one of the most renowned institutes for application-oriented research in the field of photonics and the development of optical systems for the control of light.
The institute will strengthen its role as one of Germany’s leading locations in the field of quantum technology and quantum communication by expanding its space and adding 50 more jobs. The federal government recently assigned it the task of coordinating the full-scale QuNET offensive to build a German quantum information network. It is also carrying out the Quantum Photonics Lab project which is backed by federal funding. Thuringia-based companies in the industry will also benefit from the cutting-edge research soon to be carried out in all three state-of-the-art buildings. In the future, for example, they will participate in joint projects through close cooperation and the lively transfer of technology. (hw)